Blessings and Woes^(A)

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,^{(B) 18} who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him,^(C) because power was coming from him and healing them all.^(D)

²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said:

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,^(K) because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.^(L)

Love for Enemies^(R)

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,^{(S) 28} bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.^{(T) 29} If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.^{(U) 31} Do to others as you would have them do to you.^(V)

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?^(W) Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?^(X) Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them,^(Y) and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children^(Z) of the Most High,^(AA) because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful,^(AB) just as your Father^(AC) is merciful.

Judging Others^(AD)

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.^(AE) Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.^{(AF) 38} Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.^(AG) For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”^(AH)

³⁹ He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?^{(AI) 40} The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.^(AJ)

⁴¹ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit^(AK)

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.^(AL) People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.^(AM)

The Wise and Foolish Builders^(AN)

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^(AO) and do not do what I say?^{(AP) 47} As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice,^(AQ) I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

The Faith of the Centurion^(A)

7 When Jesus had finished saying all this^(B) to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. ² There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, ⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” ⁶ So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.^{(C) 8} For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” ¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

The Faith of the Centurion^(A)

⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed,^(B) suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.^{(C) 9} For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.^{(D) 11} I say to you that many will come from the east and the west,^(E) and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.^{(F) 12} But the subjects of the kingdom^(G) will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”^(H)

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”^(I) And his servant was healed at that moment.

⁴⁶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.^(A) And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,^(B) he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”^(C) Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹ While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵² When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household^(D) believed.

⁵⁴ This was the second sign^(E) Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son^(A)

¹¹ Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord^(B) saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”^{(C) 15} The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ They were all filled with awe^(D) and praised God.^(E) “A great prophet^(F) has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”^{(G) 17} This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.^(H)